By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
CARSON, Calif. - The 10 California Interscholastic Federation (whew, that's a mouthful) commissioners are meeting presently in a board room to pick six teams for their three bowl games.
Good for them.
Good for the state?
Good for competition?
Good for student/athletes?
Good for the fans, teachers, parents, families, writers, editors, bloggers, television crews, Home Depot maintenance workers?
All are debate-able.
Here's something that is not.
I'm beat. Trying to dissect records, common opponents, strength of schedules, history, scores, stats, school size, shoe sizes, margin of victory, margin of error, weather conditions (sorry, no that's for my fantasy football team), is tiring stuff.
I don't know how CalHiSports.com editor Mark Tennis and CalPreps.com editor Ned Freeman have done it all these years?
For their sake and mine and everyone else in the land of golden, let's figure out a state playoff system and be done with it.
That debate, however, is for another day.
What's for the here and now is to give one last push of what we think will happen and for fun, what we'd like to happen.
First off, if you didn't catch all the scores and brief highlights from Friday and Saturday's California section games, CLICK HERE.
As far as the selections, four of the six picks are crystal clear. Barring brain freeze, these picks are mere formalities
Division I North: De La Salle.
Division II South: Oceanside.
Division III North: Central Catholic-Modesto.
Division III South: St. Bonaventure-Ventura.
The great debates will be Division I South and Division II North. Here's a rundown and what we'd like to see.
DIVISION I SOUTH
This is a fun, fun, fun because it probably carries the most interest and fan base throughout the state.
The front-runner: Centennial-Corona (13-1).
On the shoulder: Birmingham-Lake Balboa (13-1)
Well back: Long Beach Poly (13-1).
Here are three of MaxPreps' top 17 teams in the country all vying for one spot. Clearly, two deserving teams that should be playing on the final day will be watching. By the way, Birmingham is No. 3, Poly No. 7 and Birmingham No. 17 in our national rankings.
The only reason Poly is well back is because it lost a head-to-head game with Birmingham. That virtually eliminates the Jackrabbits. The reason Centennial gets the nod in this razor-close race is one common opponent: Crespi. Centennial beat Crespi 41-20 and Birmingham lost to the Celts 20-6.
Birmingham backers will point out that that was week zero and since then the Patriots have rattled off 13 straight wins. Also, the Poly team they beat just knocked off Crespi for the Southern Section Pac-5 title Saturday night.
Here's what I'd really like to see: Add a fourth Bowl game and let Centennial play Birmingham. What an event that would be. There would be as many as 20 Division I players on the field at the same time and two absolutely solid coaching staffs. What a game.
Then let Poly and De La Salle square off. Wouldn't you love to see Poly's vaunted defense, which has allowed three points combined against two nationally-ranked opponents the last two weeks, try to slow down De La Salle's seemingly unstoppable new veer/spread attack?
Then let those winners play some Madden and call it a day.
DIVISION II NORTH
Front-runner: Foothill-Palo Cedro (12-0)
Front-runner: Novato (13-0)
On the shoulder: Oakdale (12-1)
Foothill comes out of the Northern Section, one - no fault of its own - that gets about as much respect as Rodney Dangerfield's step child. If ever there's a chance for a Northern team to step up and be chosen, this is the one. According to our Kevin Askeland, who has covered the Section since he started shaving, this may be the best team to come out of the North in 20 years. They have a fantastic defense led by a couple Division I type athletes and the offense is led by the Johnston brothers, Kyle and Cole - perfect! - who have combined for almost 2,000 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns.
Novato is an almost impossible team to describe which is probably why the Hornets are so difficult to defeat. They've won 25 straight games and could have easily been picked last year but Palo Alto won the Central Coast Section's largest and toughest division to edge them. The Hornets just win and they usually win big thanks to a a fundamentally near-perfect squad, especially on defense. They don't miss tackles or opportunities and junior quarterback Jeff Stephens (no relation) has emerged probably faster than anyone anticipated. Their heart and soul is a kid Jose Mendez (5-10, 205), kind of the embodiment of high school sports. He's not flashy but just tough and productive. Like the Hornets.
What I'd like to see: Bring the Foothill and Novato kids down to the Home Depot Center, suit them up next week and let them alternate quarters while taking on a very tough Oceanside team. These San Diego kids are tough. They can take it.
Seriously, there's absolutely nothing more Foothill or Novato could have done this year. Each played to its absolute peak and beyond. I hope the team not selected gets recognized in some way. If not, come back to this site.
Come back here after 4 p.m. to see who the commissioners picked and why.
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.